Love in Montana
by iloveromance
Summary: Niles' absence makes Daphne realize how much she loves him. But she fears that it may be too late. Her journey takes her from Seattle all the way to the state of Montana in the hopes of telling him what is in her heart.
1. Chapter 1

"Niles, are you sure about this? Have you really thought it through?"

Niles looked his brother in the eye and swallowed hard. "Frasier, I haven't been able to think about anything else. I can't stay in Seattle any longer."

"But Niles, _Montana_? That's over seven hundred miles away!"

"Remind me again how far Boston is from Seattle." Niles shot back.

"You know damn good and well that they're not the same things! I moved to Boston to further my education! Not to…"

"Run away." Niles finished. "That's what you were going to say, isn't it?"

Frasier ran his hand through his hair; a nervous habit that Niles knew well. "Look, Niles…"

"My mind's made up, Frasier. Daphne has made it clear to me that she wants nothing to do with me unless it's in friendship. And although her friendship means the world to me, I-I just can't. I need more."

Frasier's expression softened. "Is this about Mel?"

Niles looked away, fighting back tears. And when he felt his brother's hand on his shoulder, he daringly made eye contact, surprised to find that Frasier's expression was sympathetic.

"Look, if you want to talk about this-."

"No."

"Because we never had a chance to really-."

"There's nothing to talk about. Mel left me, Frasier. Ran off with that… that… intern at the hospital and did nothing more than leave me a note and an order to move out of her place immediately. Thank God I decided to sublet my place at the Montana and that no one had taken advantage of it yet. I suppose the fact that I was able to move back in right away was a blessing. "

"Niles, look-."

"I can't stay here any longer, Frasier. I just can't. I need a change of scenery, all right? Somewhere that has no memories."

"But Niles, Montana?" Frasier said again.

"Yes. I'm moving to Montana."

"Well, do you have a job lined up?"

Niles lowered his head. "No…"

"NO?" Frasier shouted, startling Niles with the outburst. "Oh Niles, how can you be so impossible? What will you do for income?"

"I'll ignore that remark." Niles snapped. "I'm not an idiot, Frasier. I have plenty of money saved. I even bought a house!"

"I see… Well…."

"I'm sorry, Frasier. About leaving so soon; not about leaving. If the circumstances were different-."

"Have you told her?"

"What?"

"Oh for God's sake, Niles you know what I mean! Have you told Daphne that you're moving away?"

Again Niles lowered his head. "No…"

"Don't you think that you should?"

"Well of course I'm going to tell her! I just-."

"When, Niles? When are you going to tell her? After you're gone?"

"Frasier-."

"If you're really her friend, you-."

The door opened and they looked up. Niles' heart began to race at the sight of the vision standing in the doorway. Her smile instantly lit up the room.

"Oh, hello Dr. Crane. I didn't expect to see you here at this time of day."

"Oh, well, I-."

She smiled and went to him, making him shiver when she touched his forearm. "It's nice to see you. I hope you didn't think-."

"No, not at all. Thank you, Daphne. It's… wonderful to see you too."

After a moment of silence, Frasier cleared his throat and indiscreetly motioned to Daphne.

Niles swallowed hard.

"Well…" Frasier said. "I'm going to clean out my closet."

Daphne's eyebrows rose. "Your closet? But I just did that for you yester-."

"Daphne, may I speak to you for a moment?" Niles interjected, shooting his brother a grateful look.

Confused she glanced at him and nodded. "Of course. I-."

"I'll leave you two alone." Frasier said.

When Frasier was gone, Niles was overcome by the silence that filled the room. And he wondered if Daphne could hear his heartbeat. She sat next to him on the sofa and smiled. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

He stared into her beautiful eyes. God how he loved her. If only-.

"Dr. Crane?"

"What?"

"I-."

"Oh, right."

"Would you like some tea?"

"No thank you. I have to say this before I lose my nerve."

"It sounds serious."

"Well, it is in a way."

"What is it?

He took a deep breath. "I'm leaving, Daphne."

"What?"

"I'm leaving."

"I see. Well, when will you be back?"

"Actually, I won't."

"I guess I don't see. You mean you're never coming back? But why?"

"Well, of course I'll come back, but not on a regular basis anyway."

"I- I don't-."

"I'm moving away."

She gasped. "Oh… Well, when?"

"In two weeks. I leave on the First."

"I see…"

He thought, as he looked into her eyes, that he saw the beginnings of tears, but it must have been his imagination.


	2. Chapter 2

Daphne stared at her friend, doing her best to make sense of what he was saying. But his words were a jumbled mess in her mind.

"Daphne, say something." He said. "Please."

But she found that she could barely speak. For surely he hadn't said-

"I-I know that I should have told you sooner. Frasier was just as surprised at the news. And Dad… Well, quite honestly I haven't told him yet, because I don't know what to say."

"You're leaving?"

He swallowed hard. "Yes."

She nodded. "I see." But she did not.

"Daphne, I 'm not doing this to hurt anyone or out of rebellion. I just… I need to get away."

"What about your patients? Won't they miss you?"

He smiled, making her heart feel somewhat strange. But she quickly ignored the feeling and waited for his answer. When he said nothing, she continued. "I mean, you do have a connection to them. A rather strong one I would imagine."

A feeling of surprise came over her then, one that that was almost like an afterthought. It was the most she'd said since he'd broken the news just a few moments earlier. And yet, it felt like hours.

"Yes, I suppose that's true." He replied after the long silence ended. "Actually it's very true. I do have a strong connection to my patients. But-."

She tried to smile and her hand instantly curled around his slender fingers. She wasn't even certain if he noticed that they were now holding hands. But she certainly did. She vowed to notice everything from that moment on. Until he was gone.

"You don't have to explain." She replied, keeping her voice as cheerful as possible. "You're a smart man and I'm sure that you have a very good reason for leaving Seattle and your family, but-." Her voice trailed away and she noticed that he leaned forward, as though he wanted to hear the reminder of her thoughts.

"But…" He coaxed.

Her eyes moved to his. "I-Oh, well, it will just take some getting used to-um, you not being here, I mean. We've known each other for so long; almost my entire existence here in Seattle, actually. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

"Daphne-."

"I-I just feel like-."

"Yes?"

The words were a tangled mess inside of her heart. The words she wanted so much to say, but had no idea how to say them or even what those words were. But they were there, deep inside of her heart. Oh how she wished they would come. Why now of all times, did her heart refuse to cooperate with her ability to say what she wanted, no... what she needed to say?

"Daphne, what is it? Please tell me."

"I-I'll miss you."

The words weren't at all what she wanted to say, but they were true enough. And they were enough for him to smile and draw her into his arms for the most wonderful hug she'd ever experienced. She closed her eyes and leaned into his body, holding him tighter than ever before as her silent tears dampened his shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

The days passed, bringing the first of the month closer and closer. Daphne went about her usual routine; cooking, cleaning and working with Mr. Crane on his exercises. But she did those things in a fog, for her thoughts were consumed by someone else; Mr. Crane's youngest son.

He filled every part of her mind, his image bringing bursts of pain and sadness that made her heart ache and the unbearable urge to fight back tears was becoming more and more difficult. The closer the calendar moved to the first of the month, the more apprehensive she became.

There was a huge change in the Crane household during the next two weeks. But she knew that Niles' news affected her the most and her attempts to hide her feelings proved to be useless. However, she had lived with Frasier and Martin long enough to know their habits.

Both men made no secret about the fact that they suspected that she was a bit uneasy, but she couldn't bring herself to explain, or even try. To do so would completely break her and she wasn't someone who broke easily. She was certain that once the initial shock of Niles' leaving wore off, she would be fine. She'd lived without him before, in Manchester when she'd had no knowledge of his existence and even for a short while in the States. She would eventually forget all about him and her time with the Crane men would become a distant memory. After all, she wasn't going to work for Frasier forever.

Before she met Niles, she only knew what Martin had told her about him; that Niles was similar to his older brother; pompous, meticulous, snobby and a host of other adjectives. But once she got to know him, she realized that Niles wasn't like that at all. Not really, anyway. On the surface, he was exactly like Frasier, but underneath… well, perhaps in the years she'd known him, her opinion of him had softened a bit. It was hard to get angry with Niles, let alone stay mad for very long and if they ever argued, he always apologized first, even if the fault wasn't his.

Once again his handsome face filled her mind and her heart beat faster. She'd never really thought of him as handsome before; not consciously anyway. It wasn't until many years after she'd started working for Frasier that she realized that her feelings for Niles had changed.

 _Frasier had, somehow, after one of his radio shows, managed to injure his back. Most likely he was guilty of standing up too quickly. But her heart went out to him when she saw how much pain he was in. The way Niles' had tended to him warmed her heart but she simply passed it off as sweet. After all they were brothers and isn't that what brothers (well, not hers, but some she supposed) did for one another?_

 _Frasier meanwhile, was in excruciating pain. He could barely walk and required medical attention. The doctor ordered lots of bed rest and although Frasier protested at first, he finally succumbed to Daphne's demand that he follow the doctor's orders to the letter. After a few weeks he was cleared to go to work, but the pain was still overwhelming at times._

 _He was on very heavy medication that he took only at night (under Daphne's' close supervision) and it was only to be used when the pain became unbearable. But one night she let her guard down and she was startled to see him wandering around the condominium acting strangely. Clearly he'd taken more of the pills than was necessary. And she began to worry._

 _"Dr. Crane, are you sure you shouldn't be in bed?" She asked for what felt like the twentieth time in as many minutes. "The doctor-."_

 _"I'm fine." He said, walking away from her. She scowled at him and continued to finish up the dishes as he made his way into the living room._

 _But just as she peaked into the doorway, he stopped in his tracks and starred at her._

 _"Dr. Crane?"_

 _"Daphne, would you do me a favor? Please?"_

 _She was so surprised that she nearly dropped the dish that she was holding. Quickly she put it away and went to him._

 _"Of course, what do you need?"_

 _But he was strangely hesitant._

 _"Dr. Crane? What is it?"_

 _"Well, I…"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"Daphne, you know that I wouldn't ask you this if I didn't feel that it was absolutely necessary, but-."_

 _"What is it?"_

 _"Well, I think that one of your signature massages might do me a world of good. Like the ones that you give Dad on occasion."_

 _She stiffened. She hadn't expected this at all. Giving Martin a massage was one thing, but Frasier…_

 _"Please?" he asked, almost begging. "It would mean so much to me."_

 _She shook off any feelings of anxiety. What was wrong with her? "Of course I'll do it." She said without hesitation. "I don't know why I didn't think about it before. Yes, a massage would be very good for your back. Why don't you go into your room and get changed? I'll be in shortly. Shall I bring in your father's table?"_

 _"No, I… I don't think I have the strength to climb onto it."_

 _She nodded. "Of course. We'll use your bed then." Shocked by what she had said, she quickly made amends. "I-I mean, your bed will be more comfortable give you plenty of space to lie down. I-I'll meet you in your room."_

 _Her heart pounding, she hurried into her bedroom, grateful that he was so 'out of it' because of the pills he'd taken for his back that he probably didn't notice her faux paus about his bed._

 _Several minutes later she changed her clothes and returned to his room, ready to proceed with his massage. But the moment that she walked through the door, she noticed him lying face down on the bed, wearing nothing but a towel. She'd seen him dressed this way before (or rather, undressed), but a strange (and very different) sensation went through her. Little did she realize, it was a foreshadowing of what was to come._


	4. Chapter 4

_She smiled uneasily. "All right. I'll be right back. I just need to get something else from me room. Just relax." And then she laughed at her own joke. "I guess I don't need to worry about that, do I? You seem pretty relaxed already."_

 _"Thanks Daph-neeee…" He drawled, clearly missing the joke entirely. And for that she was glad._

 _When she returned, she could hear him talking to someone, as though deep in conversation. She wasn't sure that she should enter, for fear that the conversation was private but when she peeked into the doorway, she froze._

 _"Daphne is wonderful, isn't she?" He was saying. "I honestly don't know what I would do without her. She's been such a godsend to us and if she were ever to leave, I'd miss her terribly. I do love her, you know. I love her very much in fact. I've never told her, not in so many words. I mean it is rather awkward, but I probably should tell her. It's not something I say every day, although I should. She's such a warm person. She makes me laugh and has gotten me through some very rough times in my life. The very least that I can do is tell her how much she means to me. She really has no idea and I had no idea that I could feel so strongly about someone. All right, it's settled. I'll tell her over dinner. It needs to be special. And Dad? He can be there too. I want him to hear it."_

 _Daphne stood in the doorway, frozen, wondering if she should enter at all. His words went through her head over and over again and she tried to let them sink in. And when they finally did, her breath caught in her throat._

 _Oh my God… It couldn't be possible that her boss was in love with her, could it?_

 _She had no idea what to do. If she confronted him, she knew that he'd only deny it. But she couldn't let what she'd just heard go ignored. Her heart pounding, she walked into the bedroom surprised to find it empty, save for Dr. Crane._

 _"Dr. Crane, I'm ready to give you your massage, but if you'd rather wait…"_

 _"No. Now please…"_

 _Her chest tightened. "A-all right."_

 _Cautiously, she approached him, but was surprised to find the room empty. "Dr. Crane, if you don't mind my asking…"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but overhear while I was in the hallway. Um… who were you talking to.. Just now?"_

 _"Oh, it was Eddie."_

 _Her eyebrows rose. "E-Eddie? You mean you were confiding in-."_

 _"Eddie. He's a wonderful listener and he never interrupts."_

 _She drew back and stared at him. This was certainly disturbing, even more so than the fact that he apparently had romantic feelings for her. She wondered if she should mention Frasier's strange behavior (minus what he'd confided to the dog of course) to Niles or Mr. Crane. But it was evident that Frasier had taken more pain pills than he needed and for that she felt guilty. There was nothing she could do now except wait until they wore off and after that she would go back to strictly monitoring his doses._

 _She walked over to him and began the massage, paying careful attention to his back. She worked thoroughly, doing her best to relax his tight muscles._

 _"I see.." was all that she could manage to say. "Well, you're right. Eddie is a wonderful listener. But you know… I'm a pretty good listener meself. That is, if there's something on your mind. And speaking of, I can't help but wonder…"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"Well, I heard you talking about me earlier… um… to Eddie and I have to say that I'm so flattered."_

 _Frasier lifted his head and smiled clumsily. "You are?"_

 _"Well, yes. And I love you too."_

 _"Really?"_

 _"Of course. But only in the friendship sort of way. That is what you meant when you were talking about me, wasn't it? That you love me as a friend?"_

 _"Yes, of course."_

 _Her hand went to her heart and she very nearly fainted in relief. "Oh, thank God… I mean, I would have been flattered of course, if you meant it differently but-."_

 _"My love for you may be in friendship, but I can't say the same about Niles…"_

 _Her hands froze on his back and she leaned to look at him. "I-I'm sorry. It sounded like you said…"_

 _"That's right. I said Niles. He loves you so much, Daphne. You have no idea."_

 _She felt her cheeks flush and she felt tears begin to rise to the surface. "Dr. Crane…that's very sweet. I love your brother too. He's been such a good friend to me. I feel the same way about your father."_

 _"Niles loves you, Daphne. In fact I'm worried about him. I've never seen him quite so…"_

 _Her heart began to pound . "What is it? Is something wrong with your brother?"_

 _"Oh, he'll be fine."_

 _"But you said-."_

 _"It's nothing. It will blow over in time, I'm sure. I mean, he's been in love before, but never like this…"_

 _Daphne gasped. "He what?"_

 _But when he didn't answer, she heard him snoring. He had fallen asleep and he was so deeply asleep that she knew that nothing could wake him. Still, she had to know. She shook him frantically, knowing that her efforts were useless._

 _"Dr. Crane, please tell me! What's wrong with your brother?"_

 _He did not budge, leaving her to sit on the bed, consumed with worry that his brother might be sick… or worse. And the words he had used …_

 _"_ He's been in love before, but never like this."

 _Never in a million years could she have fathomed…. No, it wasn't possible._

 _But from that moment on, she couldn't get Niles Crane out of her mind…. And the thoughts of him only increased with each passing moment._


	5. Chapter 5

From that moment foreword everything about her relationship with Niles changed.

The man who had once been merely a good friend now consumed her every thought during the day. And at night, he took over her dreams. He was there when she awoke each morning and stayed with her until late at night when she fell asleep, his presence there in a different way.

Whenever Niles arrived at Frasier's Daphne was, of course, always happy to see him but now even more so. Her increased happiness of his presence brought a wave of nervousness unlike any she'd ever experienced before. How was it possible that she no longer knew how to act around him, or even what to wear? She picked out her clothes as carefully as she would pick out clothes to wear on a date. And even when she was satisfied with her appearance, she felt self-conscious in a million other ways. Fortunately, Niles didn't seem to notice her uneasiness, but she certainly noticed. The way her cheeks would warm ever so slightly whenever he looked at her in a certain way. The way he'd always looked at her, with concern and compassion. Or the way he made her laugh. Whenever he smiled at her, she felt her heart soar. And a hug, no matter how simple, nearly brought her to tears; tears which she tried very hard to hide.

What was wrong with her? How could knowing the secret that Niles was supposedly in love with her change her entire world? She wanted so much for things to be the way they were before she'd given Frasier that bloody massage; before he blurted out something that Niles had kept hidden extremely well, before she realized that it was possible to feel something for Niles that she'd never even fathomed before.

As quickly as the memory of that fateful day came, it faded. But the feeling that it brought remained for much longer.


	6. Chapter 6

She was just putting the final touches on dinner when the doorbell rang. At once her hand stilled and she straightened, painfully aware of the ache in her chest that accompanied her rapidly beating heart. This was it; the last dinner that she would ever share with Niles and the men who had over the years become her family.

He had told Frasier and Martin that he would return for special occasions; Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays and the like, but frankly Daphne didn't see how it was possible. It was true that the state of Montana was much closer to Seattle than Boston, but it was still a sixteen hour drive at best and the chance of Niles being able to make the drive even occasionally were most likely slim. Flying home was even less likely, what with the harsh winter weather that Montana often received. The airports were often shut down and flights were canceled, according to the reports she'd seen on the news from time to time. Seattle had its share of winter weather, but for the most part it had a mild climate. She couldn't imagine Niles being happy in a state that was accustomed to receiving so much snow.

She blinked, realizing that there were tears on her cheeks. And when the doorbell rang once more, she brushed them away and walked out of the kitchen. Her heart thundered in her chest and she prayed that she looked presentable. She plastered on a smile that she hoped looked sincere as she went to answer the door.

"Hello, Dr. Crane."

His smile nearly melted her heart. "Hello, Daphne." He sniffed the air and she wondered if he was making a last attempt at trying to capture the scent of her shampoo.

But his next comment caught her off guard.

"Something smells wonderful."

Her cheeks flushed. "Thank you, Dr. Crane. I-I mean if it's the dinner you're referring to. I-I made your favorite. It was the least I could do since you won't be here much…I…" Her voice trailed away, but she willed her tears to remain hidden. She couldn't break down. Not here, not now. She should be treasuring her last moments with her friend.

"Well, yes, of course dinner smells wonderful, but I was actually referring to-."

"Niles, you're here!"

Daphne and Niles looked over to see Frasier and Martin enter the living room. Leave it to those two to enter a conversation at the worst moment imaginable. Somehow their presence seemed to make the reality that Niles would soon be gone sink in even more. But she swallowed hard and brought the smile back to her face.

"Well, since we're all here, why don't we have dinner?" She tried to sound as cheerful as possible, but Martin's rolling eyes were not lost on her. There was a brief pause as the Crane men looked at one another and then back at Daphne.

"Um, yeah." Frasier finally said. "Let's have our dinner. Daphne's cooked up something special this evening. Get it? _Cooked up_?"

"Yeah, we get it, Fras!" Martin snapped. "Come on, if we're going to eat let's eat! We don't have all night!"

The room fell silent. It was something that Martin had said many times but that night it carried a different tone.

"Great, I'm starved." Niles said, sitting down at the table.

When they were all seated at the table, they began to dig into the meal, which was surprisingly more delicious than Daphne had anticipated. She'd worked hard on making the meal special, carefully choosing her recipes and the ingredients for the best she could find. Niles deserved nothing less. She couldn't help stealing glances at him now and again and from the way he was devouring his food, he seemed to enjoy it. She certainly hoped so.

While they ate, Frasier and Martin made small talk with Niles about this or that; Frasier's callers or Niles' patients-or rather former patients. They talked about Martin's antics at McGinty's and even the shared memories that Daphne was not a part of. Things that had happened before she came to America. She admitted that she liked hearing about the past and she wondered what Frasier and Niles must have been like as children. Most likely not much different than they were as adults.

But when the conversation turned to Niles' impending move, Daphne had to fight to keep her tears at bay. She ate quietly, staring at her plate. Her glass of wine moved to the air almost on its own free will and she finally spoke, she felt strange, as though the words belonged to someone else.

"I-I'd like to make a toast."

The men looked at her in stunned silence before Frasier nodded and smiled.

"I think that's a fine idea, Daphne."

Daphne's eyes moved to the handsome man on her right. "To Dr. Crane."

Niles grinned. "Me?"

She did her best not to look at him for too long for fear that she might break. "Um, yes. I want to make a toast to you, Dr. Crane."

"I'll most certainly join in a toast to my brother!" Frasier exclaimed.

"So will I!" Martin added.

The three of them raised their glasses and one can of Ballantine Beer as all eyes turned to Daphne.

"D-Dr. Crane." She began trying to keep her voice from quivering. "You've always been very brave, but I hope that your journey to Montana will be a safe one. I…."

When her voice began to tremble, she stopped talking for fear that it might break completely. And it was becoming harder and harder to look at him.

"I second that." Frasier said as they clinked their glasses and can of Ballantine together. "But I have a bit more to add if you don't mind, Daphne."

She smiled knowingly. "Not at all."

He began a somewhat long winded speech and she did her best to listen, but as before, her heart began to feel heavy. And slowly she rose from the table.

"Daphne, where are you going?" Frasier asked.

"I-I'm sorry, Dr. Crane. I almost forgot about the blancmange."

Three sets of eyes looked at her like she was a complete loon and they all spoke at once;

"Blancmange, Daphne?" Frasier questioned.

"Hmmm, sounds intriguing." This, from Niles.

"Blancmange? What in the hell is that?" Martin chimed in.

"You'll see." Daphne replied with a grin. Her mouth began to water at the thought of tasting the English desert. It had been years since she'd last had it, and she hoped that it was as good as she remembered.

"Well, whatever it is, I can't wait to try it. How about you, Dad?"

Martin shrugged. "I guess. I hope I won't regret it."

"I'll choose to ignore that comment, old man!" Daphne said, only half serious.

But Martin just shrugged. "Suit yourself."

In the kitchen she pulled the tray of blancmange out of the Sub Zero refrigerator, but something startled her.

"Daphne?"

She nearly jumped at the sound of Niles' voice and he hurried toward her, managing to keep the tray from falling onto the floor. As he sat it down on the counter, he looked worriedly at her. "I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to frighten you."

"It's all right. I-."

"Here, let me help you. My, this looks wonderful."

Her cheeks flushed once more. "Oh, thank you, Dr. Crane. I hope you like it. It's an English desert with cream, sugar and milk flavored with almonds. Me Grammy Moon used to make this for me all the time."

"I can't wait to try it."

"Dr. Crane? Was there something you needed…? I-in the kitchen I mean?"

His eyes met hers. "No, I was just… I wanted to thank you for dinner. It was wonderful."

"Y-you came in here to say that?"

"Um, no. Well, actually..."

"Oh… well, you're welcome."

"Can I help you with anything?"

"Absolutely not." She kept her voice firm. "You're the guest of honor and you should be in the dining room with your brother and father. You're leaving soon, you know."

The words came out a bit harsher than she intended (For she didn't mean them to be harsh at all) and as a result they hurt more than ever. Niles seemed just as

affected, for the smile disappeared from his face and he nodded sadly.

"Yes, well, I-."

Their eyes met once more and she felt a familiar twinge of pain. Why did he have to be so handsome and sweet? And why was she having all of these feelings now?  
They both spoke at once.

"Dr. Crane?"

"Daphne?"

The coincidence made them laugh.

"You go ahead." He prompted.

"No, you."

"All right, Daphne. What I wanted to say was that I-."

"What's taking you two so long?" Martin's voice boomed from the living room.

"I suppose I should get this blancmange to your father and brother."

"Are you sure that you don't need any help?"

She stared at him for a moment and her fingertips moved lightly across his soft cheek. It was a reaction that was completely unplanned, but felt strangely natural.

Niles, in turn, stared at her in stunned silence and she quickly looked away.

"Go, Dr. Crane."

"All right."

It took a few moments to compose herself and even as she carried the tray of blancmange into the living room and handed the plates to Niles and his family, her hands trembled.

"So Daphne are you going to tell us what we're about to eat?" Frasier asked.

"Well from the way Daphne described it, it's like custard made with gelatin and chocolate."

She was so surprised at Niles' answer she could have hugged him. "Your brother's right. That's exactly what it is. An English desert."

"It's wonderful." Niles said, taking a second bite of his desert.

Carefully avoiding Niles' gaze, she looked at Frasier. "I haven't had it since I was a little girl and I thought it would make a nice finishing touch for your brother's going away party."

Frasier's eyes brightened. "Is that what this is? A going away party?"

"Well, I…"

"Now why didn't I think of that?" Frasier exclaimed. He turned to Niles and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry Niles. There should have been gifts and friends and the like."

"It's all right Frasier. This little soiree has been perfect." Niles said.

Martin grumbled and continued to eat. Daphne sat down at the table and took a bite of her blancmange. Almost instantly a million memories came rushing back.

Memories of her Grammy Moon that she hadn't thought about in a long time. She stole a glance at Niles, knowing how dangerous it was, and when he smiled contentedly as he ate, her heart warmed.

How was she ever going to let him go?


End file.
